


Survivor

by jacobby



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Ino/Sakura - Freeform, M/M, Minor relationships include:, Neji/Shikamaru - Freeform, Romance, Slow Build, They are all established, Tomb Raider AU, Uchiha Sasuke & Yamanaka Ino Friendship, Yamato/Kakashi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-06 17:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12822249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacobby/pseuds/jacobby
Summary: Following Itachi's footsteps, Sasuke and his crew head to Senju Island to look for the Juubi Vessel. Luck lets Sasuke meet Naruto, a lost pilot who helps him with his quest. With secrets uncovered and battles fought, they find that their chance meeting isn't just by chance and that their history runs far deeper than they think.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so i was playing tomb raider and thought "sasuke would look good as the tomb raider." and thus, this was born. i dont have any excuse so here we go. hope you all enjoy!

The vessel swayed once, twice. There was a flash of light through the porthole, followed by a low rumble. The storm had arrived, exactly as the warning had said. Sasuke looked up at the ceiling as the sound of Hyūga’s voice erupted in the kitchen. The pitter-patter of the first few rainfall was slow, almost like a steady rhythm. He closed his eyes then, focusing on believing that his decision had been right. There was a constant reminder at the back of his head that he wasn’t alone in this. The rest of the crew had given their answer in favor of Sasuke’s suggestions.

It was only a minute after when the raindrops had followed Neji’s yammering, quick but pronounced. He was in his seat, arms crossed, his bowl of stew barely touched.

Shikamaru was quiet beside him, prodding at his own serving of beef. His own agreement with Sasuke left Neji sour, a look of betrayal washing over him whenever he so much as caught Shikamaru’s gaze with his own. He held his ground, however, since as the newest addition to the Lightning Blade as its mechanic, he thought he ought to prove himself to everyone.

“There’s far too many risks. Our budget won’t cover everything. Our lives may as well be at stake, and if we live through this, our names will be dragged through the mud. One wrong move and we’re done for,” Neji said, over and over, repeating the same thought with different words.

“You mean _you’re_ done for,” Sasuke spat with far more venom than he intended. “I’m not in this expedition to prove anything to anyone.”

“Of course not.” Neji grumbled. “It always had to be personal with you Uchihas.”

“Sasuke’s done his research, Neji,” Sakura said over a mouthful of vegetables. “This could be the world’s biggest discovery.”

“Itachi was working on a theory.”

“And it’s a damn good one.” Sakura pointed her fork at him, almost threateningly. “I’m no historian or archeologist, but everything Sasuke had presented had been crystal clear to Sai and I. Right, Sai?”

“Yes,” Sai replied.

“Can’t you see that heading to the Dragon’s Triangle might cost us our lives?”

“Neji,” Ino spoke now, the familiarity of her tone comforting to Sasuke’s ear. He had been on the other end of that voice to understand that Ino was getting frustrated. It was the same whenever Sasuke and Neji disagreed too much. “We’ve decided. We’re going to Senju Island through the Dragon’s Triangle, alright? Now, eat your fucking stew.”

Neji gave her a look. There was a lull in the conversation, a moment of peace amidst the storm. Then Neji cleared his throat. “You’re really going to let your brother’s death be in vain?”

There was a screech. Sasuke’s chair tumbled back and down the floor. He stood, looming over the company with a frown. He snarled, not unlike a wolf, looking directly into Neji’s eyes as he spoke, “Don’t you fucking dare go there, Hyūga, you son of a bitch.”

“Boys,” Yamato warned, “sit down and finish your food.”

“No,” Sasuke simply said. “I’m not hungry.” He righted his chair, and walked away.

 “Sasuke.”  Kakashi, although monotonous, had always been commanding. Sasuke didn’t look back though, only halting his steps. “We’re going to the Dragon’s Triangle. We all agreed on this.”

There was a shuffle, and Sasuke could only imagine the look on Neji’s face.

“And Neji,” Kakashi continued. “You have a point, but Sasuke brought on better ones. He did his own research. And so did you, and so did Ino. It all came to the conclusion that, yes, Senju Island only _might_ be in the Dragon’s Triangle. And, yes, we _might_ be risking everything, but you, of all people, should understand that’s in our job description.”

Neji grunted.

“Can I leave now?” Sasuke didn’t bother to wait for an answer before he started walking again.

“You can go sulk in your room now, yeah,” said Kakashi, and then the sound of clinking utensils continued as dinner went back to its original pace.

* * *

 He went over his data one more time.

There was that sting in his chest again whenever he opened his brother’s notebooks. They laid scattered on his cot, begging to be read, studied and analyzed, as if Sasuke hadn’t done that and only that for the past two years. The pang lingered, but Sasuke had gotten tougher, almost immune to it. His chest could have burned from mourning, and he wouldn’t even notice from how numb he forced himself to become.

He was the Uchihas’ pride now, whatever’s left of them. The one who took on his brother’s helm as an archeologist, an explorer. Just like how his brother had helmed this from their father, who helmed this from his father, and towards generations unknown.

But a title is a title, and a name is a name. It meant nothing if Itachi wasn’t given the rightful credit he deserved. His research was unparalleled, and his findings even more so. The Divine Source was something Itachi had spent the majority of his adult life trying to understand, tp prove. Sasuke would damn himself to hell if he let Itachi’s name be mocked even more because of one unfinished expedition.

So Sasuke did what he could.

 He flipped through the same pages again and again, until he wasn’t really paying attention to what they meant anymore. The storm had gotten more violent now. The tides bobbed the boat up and down, and the winds had rocked it from one side to the other. His papers rustled about in the room whenever the floor had gotten to a steep enough angle. Sasuke leaned on his arm, hand flat on the cot to steady himself. Otherwise, he was unperturbed.

There was a rap at his door. It opened, and Ino peaked in. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Sasuke didn’t look up. “What do you want?”

“Harsh,” Ino said as he stepped in and sat on the floor by the littered papers. “Weather’s gotten bad. There’d been a ton of lightning. I know how much you like to look at them.”

“You came in here to talk about the weather.”

“Yeah. And since I’m here, I might as well check up on you.”

“I’m fine, Ino.”

“Nah. You’re not. But I’ll let this pass because your being a dick is tiring.”

“Why don’t you go bother Sakura, then. Her lack of a dick might intrigue you more than I will this evening.” Sasuke smirked at his own remark despite himself.

“Ass.” But Ino laughed regardless. “Sasuke. I’ll get straight to the point here,” she said as her fit of giggles had died down. “What Neji said. It was uncalled for, and he was a dick for bringing that up. But—”

“—ah, there it is.”

“But! He’s right that this is too personal for you.” Ino tugged at her ponytail which fell over her shoulders. “It’s only a matter of time before you—”

“What?” Sasuke couldn’t help the spite in his voice. “End up like Itachi?”

“That’s not fair. Stop putting words in my mouth,” Ino snapped back. “I know you’re hurt, Sasuke. No matter how much you tell me that you’re fine or that I should fuck off.”

“Ino, I—”

“No, listen. Neji was being an asshole. I know we can’t relate to how you must feel.” Ino reached for his knee and squeezed. “I can’t have the both of you fighting when we should be focusing on what’s ahead.”

“You should know by now that I can be focused.” He moved towards the edge of the cot to be closer with Ino.

“I know. But Neji’s right, too, y’know? We are risking so much. I’m risking my life, Sakura’s life. Neji has a name to prove to his family, and there’s Shikamaru for him to worry about.” She let out a shaky breath.

Sasuke only stared at the floorboards.

“Losing Itachi was hard enough. I—we.” Ino’s voice softened.  “We can’t lose you too. Not you, Sasuke. Not anyone in this godforsaken ship.”

Sasuke heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. “Right. And like Kakashi said, it’s in the job description.” Sasuke closed the notebook he had been looking at, and faced Ino.

“We’re archeologists. We aren’t meant to die. We’re meant to learn about the dead. It’s boring and a little gross, but it’s fucking fulfilling. Just,” Ino got up from her small spot on the floor. “Itachi.”

 Sasuke looked at her, waiting for her to say what she needed to.

“He would have been proud. This very instant, everything you’ve achieved right now. He’s proud of you.”

“Thanks.” Sasuke managed to keep a straight face. “He would have been proud of you, too. He _is_ proud of you.” He carefully arranged everything and placed them in the box on the floor. He motioned for Ino to sit beside him with a pat on the empty space.

She did.

Sasuke took her hand and squeezed. “And God forbid I say this but I bet he’s also proud of Neji.”

“I’m the one that should be comforting you,” she said, her voice cracking as she was fighting off tears. “I swear, that was why I was here.”

“By normal standards, you did pretty well.”

Ino laughed, even as a tear fell. “Of course.”

“Where’s your girlfriend, anyway?”

“Going over some stuff with Sai. We _were_ making out before this, but the thought of you brooding alone in your room was too distracting, and to be honest, a major turn off.”

There was a small smile on his lips. “Disgusting,” he said good-naturedly, “but I am not surprised.”

“Can I trust you to at least take care of yourself? I don’t know, remember to brush your teeth or something. Comb your hair?”

Sasuke gave her a look. “Ino. I don’t think—”

There was an explosion, and Ino and Sasuke were off the bed, faces clashing with the hardwood. The vessel wobbled and shook, reaching a slope that was impossible to maneuver. Ino was on top of Sasuke when their bodies reached the wall, stopping them from rolling further. They groaned, and Ino let out a hack.

“The fuck just happened?” Ino said in between deep breathes.

“C’mon.”

Sasuke pulled himself up to his knees when the boat yielded towards the other way, creating a flatter platform for their feet.  Sasuke stood, taking Ino by the arm and pulling her up, dragging her towards the door. They tried to be steady, but even staying up was proven to be difficult. They limped, all the while following the motion of the boat.

His door was already open, probably from the impact of whatever the fuck that explosion was. He pushes Ino onwards, gesturing her to go first, towards the lifeboats.

“Sakura!” Ino called out. “Sakura? Sai?” she continued, while she tumbled side to side through the narrow hallway, leaning on to the walls for support.

Sasuke followed close behind, checking every door to see if it was clear. So far, nobody was around. Each room was empty, but Sasuke couldn’t falter. There was one last room to check.   

“We’re here!” Sakura’s voice erupted towards the end of the hallway. They couldn’t see her, but Ino sped her pace.

“Sasuke, come _on.”_

“Go,” he barked as he opened the last door. “Shikamaru, fuck.”

“Shikamaru?”

“Ino, I said _go._ I’ll handle this.” He was on Shikamaru’s side at once. “What happened? Can you get up?”

“I think I sprained an ankle? It hurts to walk.” Even when death was close behind, Shikamaru managed to sound as lazy as ever.

“Grab on to me.” Sasuke looped an arm around Shikamaru’s waist while holding on to the arm Shikamaru put over his shoulders. “We’ll be fine. Just breathe, okay.”

Shikamaru groaned at the first step, almost falling over. “Fuck, I don’t think I can walk, Sasuke. Just go on without me.”

“No.” And with that, he, quite literally, swept Shikamaru off his feet.

Shikamaru was by no means light. He was lean, even looking a little thin with some of the baggier clothes he wore, but Sasuke could feel the toned muscles he hid beneath his loose shirt. Still, with adrenaline coursing through him, he found that carrying Shikamaru wasn’t going to be a problem for now, although he could already hear the distant screaming of his muscles aching after this.

If they make it, that is.

“What the fuck, Sasuke? Give a guy some warning.”

“Just shut up.” When he was sure that Shikamaru was secure in his arms, he darted forward, running through the rest of the hallway, minding his steps with the swaying boat. He ran and ran, barely registering the chaos, the loud clangs, the succeeding smaller explosions.

“Sasuke!”

He feet came to a halt, almost a little too late. There was a deep dive towards the sea where the rest of the hallway should be. There was still rain, but the winds had died down.

“Guys, _come on_.” It was Sakura, the loudest among the bunch.

On the other side, they had formed a human chain, ready to rescue them. The gap was by no means wide, but the distance furthered with every second.

“Shit.”

“I’ll toss you across.”

“What the fuck?”

“I’ll toss him across,” Sasuke cried now, at the rest of the crew. “He can’t stand.”

“I’ll catch him, don’t worry.” Kakashi was on the end of the chain, hand reaching out as far as he can manage. “Hurry, Sasuke.”

Sasuke breathed, ignoring any and all of Shikamaru’s complaints. As his muscles relaxed, he braced himself, and _swung._ Sasuke had his eyes closed as he lost contact of his Shikamaru’s skin.

Shikamaru screamed, interrupted by an ’oof’ and Neji’s own ‘Shika!’ from the other end of the chain.

Sasuke peaked through one eye, and saw that his teammate was already being hoisted up.

“Jump, Sasuke.” Kakashi said once Shikamaru was safe on the other side.

The gap was much bigger now. Sasuke didn’t anticipate the rate at which the two parts of the boat was sinking.

“ _Sasuke!”_

Before Sasuke could think, his legs were on the move, moving back a little and then sprinting forward, taking his leap at the edge. Time slowed, Sasuke thought. From his position, he could see their eyes on his, expectant but unnerved. It was the first time he had seen Kakashi look genuinely scared, and he wasn’t sure if his was to be afraid himself, or feel touched that his legal guardian cared.

Ino and Sakura held on to the man’s arms, with Sai, Neji and lastly Yamato anchoring them to one of the broken fixtures.

_Not you, Sasuke,_ Ino’s voice reminded him.

_Sorry,_ he thought, not completely understanding what that meant for him.

Kakashi’s hand was close now, and Sasuke, with all the energy left in his body, _reached._ And God as his witness did he try to even get a feel of Kakashi’s fingertips on his own.

He didn’t.

For the first time in a long time, he screamed.

The last thing he heard was Ino, screaming his name into the salty sea air.

There was a splash, and then darkness.

* * *

 “Sasuke.” It was his brother’s voice.

“Itachi?” Sasuke had been looking out of the window of Itachi’s study. He was still dressed in his pajamas: a simple white t-shirt and boxers. He felt a little out of place amidst the shiny mahogany shelves, tables and desks of the room. After he had woken up, he made himself a mug of coffee and headed straight to the room, and just observed.

There were maps and globes, papers of new and old information scattered about. He didn’t expect Itachi would be coming home that day from his most recent expedition, and he had been gone for too long. Long enough that Sasuke took to Itachi’s study for comfort.

“Welcome home,” Sasuke managed after a brief moment. “Sorry,” he said when Itachi eyed the coffee he had been nursing.

“Let’s head to the receiving room before you destroy all my data.” Itachi sounded tired, but fond.

When Sasuke was beside Itachi, matching his brother’s pace, Itachi placed a hand atop Sasuke’s head, giving it one small pat. “Did you behave while I was gone, little brother. I hope you and Neji didn’t give Ino a headache?”

“Mah, Ino’s fine.” He took a sip of his coffee, lukewarm now. “She’s probably still asleep upstairs. I don’t know where Neji is, though.”

Once in the receiving area, they settled on the small round table by the window. It was fairly early in the morning: 7:46 AM to be exact. Sasuke took his seat first, the one nearest the interior wall where the piano was placed, sinking into the warm leather of the chair.

Itachi headed to him instead of his own seat, bending forward and placing a small kiss on Sasuke’s forehead. He placed his forefinger and middle finger between Sasuke’s brows. “It’s good to be home.”

His brother wasn’t the very affectionate type, and it had been too long since the last time he had actually seen him, let alone have some physical connection with him. It was nice. A warm feeling bubbled in his chest. Like he was a kid again. Sasuke smiled, despite feeling flustered. “How did it go?” Sasuke asked, after Itachi was able to settle on his own chair. ”You find what you were looking for?”

“No.”

“Ah. Do you want me to get you anything? Food? Tea?”

“It’s alright, Sasuke. Thank you.”

Silence. Not the comfortable kind they usually shared. Sasuke gave his brother a minute or two to think.

“Itachi.”

“Hm?” Itachi closed his eyes.

“The hell happened?”

“Too much.” A sigh escaped his lips.

“Right.”

The silence lingered. Sasuke had finished his coffee. Itachi seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Itachi?” Ino was under the archway that lead from the foyer towards the receiving room. She ran towards them. “Oh my God, you’re back!”

Neji followed soon afterwards, still a little groggy after having just woken up. “Welcome back, sir,” said Neji.

Itachi stood to receive both of them with open arms. He smiled at them. ”How many times must I remind you to call me Itachi, Neji. Please.”

The three of them embraced, and it was almost endearing to Sasuke, how Ino and Neji had found a place in their home, and in their small broken family.

“C’mere, you.” Ino pulled him in and he was squished directly in between her and Neji.

_Welcome home, Itachi._

* * *

“Itachi.” He awoke with a start, and the blurry image of his brother swirled around his head until it completely disappeared, leaving Sasuke with a pain in his chest. He blinked one, two, three times and rubbed at his eyes.

Something was wrong.

He couldn’t lift his head, couldn’t lift any part of his body. His mind was still clouded as he tried to recall past events. What had happened? Did it somehow involve his brother?

There was the storm, the boat, the crash.

He fell.

The grogginess dissipated immediately. Sasuke looked around and saw dirt walls and torches. A mutilated man hung beside him. He was barely recognizable as _human_ in the first place. His skin was covered in mud and tried blood. There were bones exposed, muscles torn.

He was directly staring into his eye sockets, and then realization hit him.

“Shit.” His whole body froze. They were upside down, bounded from legs to torso. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He wriggled around without much result. His head throbbed as blood rushed into it.

“Okay, Uchiha, relax,” he told himself.

He couldn’t quite make out what was used as a rope, but it was tight and strong. The only thing he could do was swing. He swung towards the corpse, using his own momentum to hit it and send it swinging along with him. It was tall enough that it almost hit the torch by the exit. It glowed bright orange, and suddenly, Sasuke had a plan.

He angles himself rightfully that he pivoted towards the direction of the fire. He pushed the corpse along with his own body, and as he gained speed, the corpse gained further reach to the fire. The rope caught on it, and it _smoked._ One last push, and a slight pause before the corpse’s swing changed course lit the rope. It burned.

Sasuke had never been so relieved in his life.

He swung just in time that his own bondage had caught fire. The corpse fell, leaving Sasuke to burn by himself. In a matter of seconds, the rope gave in and sent Sasuke plunging towards the floor of the cave.

It was wet, muddy. The liquid was viscous and had a metallic smell to it. He rolled around anyway, making sure that he extinguished every flame. He was burned on his right shoulder, but nothing too bad.

For the second time that day—was it even still the same day? He was able to hang upside down without suffering too much of the consequences just yet—he could feel the adrenaline drain from him. He slumped, steadying himself with his hands on his knees.

The facts were he was in a cave of sorts, he had just encountered his first corpse, there was blood mixed with the soil under his feet, and lastly, if he didn’t find a way to get out _now,_ it would soon be his blood in the mud.

Get out. Right.

He wielded the torch and headed for the only vestibule available.

“Fuck. This is disgusting.” Lightheadedness threatened Sasuke at the sight of bodies, some parts missing, some with faces twisting in agony, littering the pathway. The trail itself was long and winding, without a clear view of the exit. It was narrow enough for one person.

_Get it together. Do not pass out._ The voice in his head sounded like his brother’s. He repeated the words as he walked.

_Do not pass out._

_Do not pass out._

_Live, Sasuke._

_Not you, Sasuke._

_Losing Itachi was hard enough._

_We can’t lose you too—_

There were footsteps. Not his own, as his were at a snail’s pace. They were quick, abrupt. Sudden. They stopped, and Sasuke could feel someone watching him.

He hurried, faster, running now. He slipped once, twice, five times, but he was able to stand again and run. With every second, he was sped up, even though just barely, as he got used to the footing of the cave.

The ground started shaking. Debris of broken wood fell atop his head. The foundations were coming undone, and he could smell the smoke in the air.

He was at a clearing. The area was larger, but it got darker. There were crevices and niches surrounding him. On one of them, he could see light.

_My way out._

He ran and ran, focusing on the exit, shutting out everything and anything else.

A grab on to his neck, and he was stumbling down. He gasped when he looked behind him.

A man, paper white, his limbs long and nimble, stood over him. Sasuke’s first reaction was to run. He scuffled about to get to his feet, but the humanoid has a hold of his ankle now. Reflexes had him wave the torch in front of the being, and it shielded itself, stepping away.

Sasuke slowly stood, the torch as the shield separating himself and the monster. He stepped back.

One.

Two.

Three.

If he dashed now, the humanoid would just catch up with him. Behind it, the foundation was falling apart. The caves walls were crashing. Sasuke needed to _hurry._

A piece of rock flew over his shoulder.

“Run!” came a voice.

So Sasuke did. He ran until he could longer feel his feet, like he was on autopilot. He could hear a gunshot, then another, and no one was longer pursuing him except for the destruction of the cave trailing.

He was close to the exit and then he saw _him._ He must have been the voice. He climbed up the ladder, leading up to the burrow. The exit.

Sasuke followed. He climbed and climbed, but it felt like he was nowhere even close to getting out. The sound of crashing was getting nearer. His knees buckled with every step. He was getting slow. He couldn’t make it.

_Ino, I’m so sorry._

He felt a hand on his and he was being pulled up, quick and steady. His feet working its way through every rung, but without exerting too much effort in lifting his own weight.

The light became brighter and Sasuke’s was blinded. He blinked furiously, forcing his eyes to focus. Is this heaven? There was no way hell had grass this soft and air this fresh.

“Hey,” said the voice. “You okay?”

“Stay back!” he pushed himself up and swung his arm, probably looking like an idiot. He definitely felt like an idiot.

“A thank you would be nice, you bastard. I just saved your ass.”

“What?” Sasuke takes a good look at him. The sun was directly on him, making his tanned skin glow. He had blond hair and blue eyes that shined underneath glare. “Where am I? Who are you?”

“Naruto. Can you stand?” He offered a hand to Sasuke, who took it. He pulled Sasuke up to his feet. “Looks like you burned yourself. I have first aid back in my camp. Some water too, but I’m lacking on food supplies so we might need to catch something before the day ends.”

“Thank you,” Sasuke said, a little dumbfounded. He took a look around. The borrow where he came from was covered up almost halfway through. No way in, no way out. There were trees everywhere. A camp suggested they were far from any known modern civilization.

“Neji was right.” And he hated himself for even saying it.

“Who’s what now?” Naruto grabbed a hold of Sasuke’s wrist and walked further into the trees. “We should go now. Before we run into any more—what the hell?”

Sasuke pulled his hand free. “What is this place?”

Naruto looked at him, directly into his eyes. “We,” he said, almost grimly, “are in Senju Island.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

The last time Sasuke had felt dread etch its way up his spine was when Kakashi had returned to the Uchiha Manor with his head low and eyes forlorn. He had pressed the doorbell once and then waited five minutes on the patio before Sasuke had bothered to open the door. He couldn’t even have admitted to himself that he had been scared, much less to other people.

Ino had allowed him his space, passing behind Sasuke and through the receiving room as if no one had been around.

They had all been terrified. They had all been dreading.

“This was the only thing we could find, Sasuke,” Kakashi had said, handing him a necklace. _Itachi’s necklace,_ the one their parents’ had given him after graduation. It had three silver loops, linked together by metallic strings.

Itachi was not one who wore a lot of jewelry, and yet, that was the one thing he never left without.

“I’m sorry, Sasuke,” Kakashi had continued.

“You should have looked harder,” and the door had swung shut.

Sasuke had not come out of his room for one entire week. Ino and Neji would put food and water and other items outside his door, making sure that he at least had had something to eat should he ever get hungry.

Ino had frequented knocking on his door, making sure he had still been breathing. Neji would have had followed soon after, at first doing his best in giving words of comfort—and failing, Sasuke thought—until it turned into ‘get your shit together, Uchiha,’ because he was as emotionally constipated as Sasuke was.

It was another week before he had started exchanging words with Ino again, and another few days before he had spoken to Neji.

There had been one night, however, where Sasuke had been careless, and left his room unlocked. It had been his one moment of weakness.

Ino had gone into his room, having twisted the knob slowly and crawling into Sasuke’s bed. He had been crying and sniffling. He had frozen momentarily at Ino’s embrace, before he had let out an ugly sob, and had buried his face on the crook of Ino’s neck.

There had been another body on his right side after. Neji had only gripped Sasuke’s hand, letting out the tears as quietly as he could muster.

They had fallen asleep that way, side by side in a bed too small for three people. It had been his only moment of vulnerability, and it had been among friends—family.

The same dread crawled up his way to his throat at the sudden realization that he was as good as alone, in an island he couldn’t trust was their destination after all. If he had survived, surely, the rest of the Lightning Blade crew would have lived as well. He had to look for them, and fast. If they really were in Senju, then it might not be safe that Sasuke wasn’t with them.

He had most of the necessary knowledge about the place. The Divine Source wasn’t something to be taken lightly, since its powers worked in more ways than one.

If you believed in it, that is.

With the dread came the vulnerability, hitting him earlier than expected this time around. Naruto was an enigma, begging to be let in. His voice was reassuring, calming even. The temptation was there, waiting for Sasuke to give in. It took whatever’s left of Sasuke to deny and say no. But he was just so tired, and a little overwhelmed. 

Naruto was incessant, telling Sasuke that his best bet of survival would be to return to Naruto’s camp and get his burn patched up.

“Let go of me,” Sasuke said, when Naruto reached for his wrist. He pulled away, but his arm gave in at the pain. He hissed, biting his lower lip to stop himself from making a sound.

“You can’t even move your fucking arm.” Naruto let go regardless. He crouched to where Sasuke was sitting by the closed up burrow. “Jesus, can you even stand?”

“Yes.” And Sasuke _did_ make an effort. Too much that the strain on his face was quite obvious. He was able to stand, but it only took one step forward before his muscles radiated with pain. He wobbled before he could take his next step.

“I don’t think so.” Naruto walked towards him and put Sasuke’s arm over his shoulders.

“Your arm’s broken.” He no longer protested at the help.

 Naruto shrugged. His right arm was bound to a makeshift cast, free from its sling. The sling itself hung loosely around Naruto’s neck. ”I’m fine.”

Naruto’s fingertips were warm over Sasuke’s skin. Sasuke let his weight fall just a little bit on Naruto. Fatigue instantly followed, and he could feel his whole body waver at the ache, at the pressure his limbs had been through.

“There. Not so bad, right, bastard?” There was a smile on his lips, crooked and toothy.

“Whatever.” Sasuke looked away.

“Look,” Naruto started as they walked, one small step after the other. “I know you don’t trust me. But I have maps and things to prove that we’re in Senju.”

“You have a _map_ of _Senju Island_?”

“Yeah. Don’t you?”

“ _No._ ” As if that shouldn’t be obvious enough. “Of course, I don’t have a map of Senju Island. It’s supposed to be—”

“What? It’s supposed to be a what?” Naruto stopped dead in his tracks.

“Nothing. Where’d you even get the map?” They continued walking.

“I’m a pilot. We have all types of maps in our base.” Naruto was contemplative, as if he was recalling something from years ago. “I was out for a ride in one of our single-engine planes. There was a bad storm and I crash landed here. My coordinates say I’m in Senju.”

“How long have you been here?”

Naruto paused again, if only for a moment. This time, he looked straight at Sasuke’s face with furrowed brows. “Huh. Is this how I’m going to earn your trust? If I answer your questions?”

“Maybe.”

“Fine. Been here for about three days. I’ve been living on my rations ever since but I’m running low. We might need to hunt for something tomorrow, as early as we can manage.”

“What makes you think I won’t run away in the middle of the night?”

“What makes _you_ think you can run away in the middle of the night?” Naruto playfully slapped Sasuke’s hand with the one he had held onto. “Shut up, and be grateful, asshole. We’re almost there.”

Naruto’s camp was in a clearing behind tall bushes. It was wide enough for a tent and a small fire with a log to act as a backrest. His backpack was neatly hidden behind a crevice on a rocky wall behind the tent.

“You never told me your name,” Naruto said as he laid Sasuke down on the log. He retrieved his bag and dug through. “‘Asshole’ suits you, though.”

“Tch. It’s Sasuke.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto said, testing out how it rolled in his tongue. “Nice name. Ah fuck, I forgot the water. I’ll be right back.”

Panic arose his chest. The small inkling of ‘betrayal’ made its way through his thoughts. Naruto was going to leave him, get him by surprise, probably kill him and get the Divine Source for himself.

As if reading Sasuke’s expression, Naruto sat back down and pokes at Sasuke’s chest. “Will you relax? I’ll be back. The stream’s just over there, alright?”

Sasuke only nodded, again feeling the weight of his exhaustion sink in.

The trip to the stream lasted all but just a few seconds, and he was back with a bottle full of fresh water. Naruto helped Sasuke lie down on the grass, and he began cleaning the burnt area with the cool liquid. Once satisfied, he tore at a rag and folded it once to fit the size of the injury. He was careful the adhesive plaster would not touch the burn itself, and closed it up.

“All done.”

“Thanks.”

Naruto hung his broken arm back to its sling. He stood, and headed towards another inconspicuous crevice and pulls out a cylindrical leather bag. He opened it in front of Sasuke, and there were rolls of papers and parchment stacked together. He picked one out and unrolled it, placing it between his and Sasuke’s crossed legs.

“Here,” he said, pointing to a small blob on the map, “this is Senju.”

“Is this _all_ you have on Senju?”

“Pretty much.” Naruto shifts in his spot. “I wasn’t exactly planning on crashing here.”

Sasuke peered nearer and there it was in bold letters, the words Senju Island. He pointed to where their last known location was, somewhere a little far off the Dragon’s Triangle. They must have just gotten within the archipelago when the storm started.

“We came from here,” Sasuke said, a little surprised at his openness. “Our boat must have sunk around this area, within the seas of the Dragon’s Triangle.”

“Heh. Fellow castaway. So you were in a boat. Like a passenger boat?”

“Just a boat. I…I have people with me. There was an accident and our boat split in half. I was the only one who didn’t make it through the other side, where all the emergency equipment was. I jumped, didn’t make it, now I’m here,” Sasuke explained. Thoughts of Kakashi and the rest of their small group crashing and drowning flashed. “They must have gotten here by lifeboat.”

“You think they’re within the island?”

“All the other islands are too far off. I don’t know how I ended up here, but they must have too.”

“Here.” Naruto looked through his duffel bag once more, and pulling out a small yellow and black transceiver. “It won’t help much if you wanna get rescued, but if they’re here, then it might be worth something.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Naruto sighed, and put his elbows on his knees and rested a cheek on his knuckle. “Look, you must have your own reasons for coming here, and I have mine. But right now, we’re both injured and we’ll starve to death if we don’t catch something soon. I’m just saying, the more we are, the better.”

“And you just trust that my team and I won’t ambush you and take all your supplies for ourselves.”

“Sure,” Naruto shrugged. “Why not?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Just use the damn radio.”

The problem was, Sasuke didn’t want to use the radio. He didn’t want to have his hopes up only to have them crushed because nobody picked up on the other side of the line. The dread he had felt just an hour ago had come back, just looming over him. If Kakashi didn’t pick up, what then? Should he pause and mourn for his team? Would Itachi find this disrespectful to the Uchiha name? Should he look for them or should he continue on with the search for the Divine Source? Could he even do it without Kakashi and the rest in the first place?

If Itachi were in his shoes, what would he do?

Naruto’s presence was an opportunity in and of itself. Sasuke was only able to escape the humanoid’s clutches because Naruto had come in and saved him. He patched Sasuke up, offered Sasuke his resources, and even let him use his own radio without even thinking twice.

Of course, he found Naruto suspicious. He was too generous and too kind to a stranger while stuck in an island. It wasn’t like Sasuke did anything to make Naruto distrustful of him. But there wasn’t any conscious effort to make Naruto trust him either.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“I’m sure your team is fine,” Naruto tried.

“Tch.” Sasuke inputted their radio’s usual channel. “Charlie November Nine, Charlie November Nine. This is Foxtrot Mike Six, please respond.” The radio cackled as Sasuke waited for an answer.

“Charlie November Nine, do you copy? This is Foxtrot Mike Six, respond.”

Nothing. The seconds of wait felt like hours.

“Kakashi. Respond, you asshole.”

Fuck.

“Kakashi, fucking answer goddammit.” Sasuke gripped at the radio. He had the deepest urge to throw it at the rocky wall. His eyes were shut tight, and his head bent low. “Fuck,” he whispered. He didn’t realize he had been shaking until he felt Naruto’s hand on his, gripping just as tight as he was.

Just then, there was static from the radio. The noise was choppy, and then a clear voice announced itself.

“Sasuke? Oh my God. Oh my God. Sasuke. You’re okay, holy shit.”

“Ino? It’s me. Where are you?”

“Fuck.” There was a sniffle, and then a sob. “Shit, you’re alive.” Ino’s voice cracked at the last word.

Relief washed over Sasuke. “Is everyone with you?”

“Yeah. Yes. Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “We’re by the beach. I’m with Sakura and Shikamaru. The rest have gone off to get some supplies before the sun sets. Where are you?”

“Ino, you’re not gonna believe this, but we’re in Senju. We made it.”

“What? How did you know? Sakura says hi by the way. And Shika says thanks.”

“Long story. I’ll tell you soon. Stay safe, and I’ll meet you somewhere some time soon. Just give me one day to rest.”

“Are you okay?”

“Injured,” said Sasuke. “I’m with someone. But I’m okay. Just…be safe, okay?”

“I will. You too. And, Sasuke,” Ino paused. “I—we… don’t die. We can’t lose you. You had Neji shed a tear.”

Sasuke smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Roger that.”

“That your girlfriend?” Naruto’s face was too close. Sasuke jerked back.

“No. And can you back off?” He pushed Naruto’s face away.

Naruto swatted his hand off and waved a protein bar in his face. “Eat.”

Sasuke ate his ration in relative silence as Naruto took his place beside Sasuke and had his own protein bar. The rest of the day flew by quickly enough. Sasuke tried fighting sleep off as best as he could, but he was in and out of it without noticing until he was woken up by his nightmares. He would toss and torn at the vivid dreams he was getting about their boat crashing, his fall, Ino and Neji returning to an empty manor. Kakashi, face stricken with grief, would blame himself for losing two of his boys now. Two of the Uchihas, gone because of him.

He blinked once, twice when woken up, but fatigue would drown him again and he was back in his misery.

It wasn’t until nighttime, when the sky was littered with bright stars and an even brighter moon, that Naruto had shaken him awake for dinner. He had caught some fish in the stream and cooked them over the fire.

Sasuke ate his meal sullenly, and Naruto gave him his space that night. He sent Naruto to sleep soon afterwards, offering to keep watch should there be any stray wild animals.

—-

He woke up at the first drop of rain on his nose. Light gray clouds surrounded the sky, signaling them that it was morning.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said. “Wake up. We need to go hunting before a storm starts.”

Naruto’s snoring ceased, and he jerked up at the touch of Sasuke’s palm to his stomach. He took a deep breath, stood, and collected the items necessary for catching food. His knapsack and duffel bag were back in their hiding spots. Then, Naruto took off his bomber jacket.

“What are you—”

“You’re wearing a tank top, and as good as you look in it, we can’t afford to get you sick. Here. I’ll be fine.”

Sasuke could do without the comment. “Thanks.”

While searching for food, they passed by Naruto’s crash site. The plane was small but stylish. It was red with white accents under the mask of mud and leaves. The nose was slightly crushed, but the cockpit was still mostly intact. There was a tear on the wing. Splayed over it was a parachute ripped and burned in various places.

It looked like an expensive plane; luxurious in Sasuke’s eyes.

“Are you rich?” Sasuke asked blatantly.

“Eh.” Naruto stomped on as if they saw nothing.

As it turned out, catching food wasn’t as easy as Sasuke had initially thought. The forest was full of deers and rabbits and crows, and neither him nor Naruto were sure of what was safe to eat. Not to mention, Naruto had such a small heart for these animals. The one animal they did manage to catch, a small bunny, had Naruto attached. He set it free when Sasuke wasn’t looking, which earned Naruto a slap on the arm.

The one thing they did manage to find that brought on interest was a dangling corpse caught on a trap. It hung high up a thick branch. They were both appalled at the sight, and a little anxious at the implications.

Sasuke had read about the locals of Senju Island in one of Itachi’s notes. It had been vague and a little fantastical, and he would have dismissed it as fiction should he have found it somewhere else. But a divine artifact must have its guardians, and the Divine Source was no exemption. Considering that the body was mostly intact could only mean that not too long ago, there had been other people who had to survive on that island.

There was a bow stuck on its back with a quiver of arrows directly below it. Sasuke climbed the tree, careful of any moss or vapor that might make him slip. He put his arms around the branch and crawled. He was embarrassed with how he must look in front of Naruto, but he powered on and cut the rope with the knife Naruto gave him.

Naruto retrieved the bow and gave it to Sasuke when he got down. “Nice work. You know how to use this?”

“Of course.” He gathered the arrows and placed them in the quiver. “There might be more traps. Be careful.”

They settled for fish and some edible fruit instead. Both he and Naruto had some prior training on what was edible and what wasn’t, so the task at gathering berries and some peaches were simple enough.

“What were those humanoid things?” Sasuke asked. “The one from the burrow.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it. I thought it was some guy at first, but man, he was ugly. And naked.”

“You think he’s human?”

“He didn’t have penis.” Naruto mentioned with a mouthful of fish.

“You noticed _that_?” Sasuke sputtered. He felt guilty that he spat out some of the food.

“You _didn’t?”_

“I guess I was too busy trying not to die.”

Their friendly banter lasted well after lunch was done. Naruto was an easy man to talk to, Sasuke noticed. He wasn’t overly sensitive to Sasuke’s jabs at him; he took them on and even came up with comebacks of his own. Sasuke was extra careful not to cross any line, though. His gut feeling told him there was a lot more to Naruto than he let on, and Sasuke can’t quite pinpoint if it’s a good or a bad thing.

The mystery certainly caught Sasuke’s attention in more ways then one.

Not to mention, the way the sunshine hits hair, his skin, his eyes. Everything just glistened. Sasuke caught himself staring once, almost like he was looking directly into the sun itself.

Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was his fatigue talking, or how much he missed his brother, or how much he craved the company of his own team, or simply because it just was; but Naruto radiated warmth. Like a thick quilt and some hot chocolate on a rainy day.

Sasuke told himself he was just tired. The nagging part of him—which sounded a lot like Ino—told him not to fuck this up.

The night trickled in and dinner was skipped. Sasuke was going to take one last night of rest to heal his aching muscles before who took on what Senju Island had.

At least, that was the plan.

The radio crackled to life and Sasuke was up in an instant. He couldn’t remember how he could have possibly gotten in the tent, with a sleeping Naruto beside him. He froze for a second, trying not to reach to him and push some of those blond hair out of his face.

He stepped to a drizzle.

“Ino?” he spoke into the transceiver. “Come in.”

There was nothing from the other side, only unsteady statics. He thought he could here a hint of Ino’s voice, of Sai’s, of Yamato’s; but they were too faint and short to mean anything. It got Sasuke anxious.

“Ino. Kakashi? Respond.”

“Whuzzat?” Naruto poked his head out the tent. “Everything okay?”

“Do you have a bigger map of Senju?”

“No,” Naruto said as he rubbed his eyes. He stepped out of the tent as well and grabbed a wide piece of cloth. He put it over Sasuke’s head and then over his shoulders.

“What are you doing?” The defense in Sasuke’s voice was evident, but Naruto wasn’t fazed. Nothing seemed to bother the guy.

“It’s raining, Sasuke,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Sasuke?” It was Sakura. “Sasuke, please. Where are you? There are—fuck!” There were gunshots. Three shots in total.

“Sakura, keep your head low.” It was Kakashi this time. His voice felt too far from the radio.

The gunshots raged on. Sasuke was planted firmly onto the ground. He was gripping the radio, lips unmoving. Sakura was still pressing their radio’s PTT switch, disallowing Sasuke to even confirm if all of them were still alive.

“Fuck.” And then Sasuke was running, grabbing his bow and arrow placed by the tent on the way. He didn’t know where to go, only that his team needed him. If he were able to reach this far into the island, someone must have dragged him from the bottom of the ocean. His crew couldn’t be that far behind considering they all came from one place.

Gunshot, gunshot. He listened for them in the surrounding area, but the night was quiet save for his steps and the sounds from the radio.

He barely noticed another pair of footsteps running beside him until he turned and saw that Naruto had followed him. The pilot had with him his backpack, no doubt carrying the supplies they both needed to survive.

“What the fuck, asshole? You can’t just run off like that in the middle of the night.”

“My team is being _shot at,_ idiot. I need to find them before they’re killed.” Sasuke was silent for a moment. “This isn’t _your_ men’s doing, right?”

“Oh, _bite_ me, Sasuke. Nothing I told you was a lie. I thought I was alone here.”

“Then why’d you camp out in the middle of the forest? Shouldn’t you be out there looking for an escape instead of hiding?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I literally broke my arm and my body is aching. I just survived a _plane crash,_ you bastard. And then you came along. You really think I’m gonna leave an injured man who just fell into the fucking ocean to die here while I try to escape?”

Sasuke tripped, but immediately regained balanced.

Naruto huffed. “No one’s coming here who won’t end up the way we did, and my damn radio can’t even reach beyond this shitty island.”

“Those gunshots.” They were still running. Sasuke was almost out of breath. His body was practically begging him to stop moving, but he pushed forward. “We need to be careful. We don’t know about the people behind those guns.”

“We need to make another camp before—omph.”

“Naruto!”

The white being appeared, looking nearly ominous and transparent in the darkness. It had Naruto by the neck, choking him. But it wasn’t alone. Two, three—five more showed themselves.

Sasuke pulled his bow and an arrow. He skipped towards the darker bushes and crouched, changing his position among the more hidden areas to find a good spot. Once settled, he drew his bowstring and breathed in and out.

The rest of the humanoids scattered about, in attempts of looking for Sasuke, but they were too far off from his location.

He hadn’t felt the thrill of a hunt for a long time. His heart was hammering in his chest, but his body remained steady. His aim was directly on the monster’s head. Another deep breath, and then release.

The arrow penetrated through its head, and its body fell limp on top of Naruto, who, in turn, gasped and coughed for air.

“Naruto, hide,” and Sasuke was towards a different spot. He heard a shout, and Naruto was on top of one of the humanoids, slicing its neck with his knife.

Sasuke drew another arrow and shot the one directly behind Naruto.

They put up a fight, Naruto going head to head with monsters while Sasuke covered for blindspots.

He found it reckless for a man with a broken arm to face the enemy at such a close range, but Naruto had proven himself strong. He didn’t want to be a burden no matter the handicaps; that much Sasuke noticed. The punches he landed sent the monsters flying, but it wasn’t enough to kill then. He stabbed them in the head, and Sasuke flinched at the brutality.

He shot the one last monster remaining.

“They’re decaying,” Naruto announced.  “They’re _melting_.”

“Don’t touch it,” Sasuke said as he stepped out and walked towards Naruto.

“I wasn’t going to, asshole. Who would want to touch _that?”_

There was a sizzle, and the monster was replaced with a bubbling pool of a white viscous substance. They seeped through the grass, through the soil. Small seedlings sprung up from the vicinity of where the bodies used to be.

“Wow,” Naruto sighed. “That’s pretty cool.”

“This proves they aren’t human.”

“I thought we’ve established that?”

Sasuke shook his head. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m always—” There was a smack, then a low thud.

“Naru—?” Sasuke could barely register the jolting pain in his head, and then he was on the ground. His vision blurred. The last thing he saw was a flurry of shuffling feet, and Naruto. Warm and inviting Naruto, looking peaceful even when his blond hair had been decorated with a light spray of red, was dragged away.

Everything turned to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels like a weak chapter and im sorryyyyy aaah! hope you enjoyed anyway. thank you for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> tell me what you think! kudos and comments are very welcome (but comments are more likely to keep me going woops). thank you for reading! you can also find me on twitter @/jvcobby. i post about my progress sometimes.


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